This communication reports final observations on experimental transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from mule deer to cattle by the intracerebral route. Thirteen calves were inoculated intracerebrally with brain suspension from mule deer naturally affected with CWD. Three other calves were kept as uninoculated controls. The experiment was terminated 6 years after inoculation. During that time, abnormal prion protein (PrP(res)) was demonstrated in the central nervous system (CNS) of 5 cattle by both immunohistochemistry and Western blot. However, microscopic lesions suggestive of spongiform encephalopathy (SE) in the brains of these PrP(res)-positive animals were subtle in 3 cases and absent in 2 cases. Analysis of the gene encoding bovine PRNP revealed homozygosity for alleles encoding 6 octapeptide repeats, serine (S) at codon 46, and S at codon 146 in all samples. Findings of this study show that although PrP(res) amplification occurred after direct inoculation into the brain, none of the affected animals had classic histopathologic lesions of SE. Furthermore, only 38% of the inoculated cattle demonstrated amplification of PrP(res). Although intracerebral inoculation is an unnatural route of exposure, this experiment shows that CWD transmission in cattle could have long incubation periods (up to 5 years). This finding suggests that oral exposure of cattle to CWD agent, a more natural potential route of exposure, would require not only a much larger dose of inoculum but also may not result in amplification of PrP(res) within CNS tissues during the normal lifespan of cattle.

Experimental Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease Agent to Cattle by Intracerebral Route: Final Outcome of the Study - (29-Sep-04)

Polymorphisms in the Prion Precursor Functional Gene But Not the Pseudogene Are Associated with Susceptibility to Chronic Wasting Disease in White-Tailed Deer O'Rourke, K.I., Spraker, T.R., Hamburg, L.K., Besser, T.E., Brayton, K.A., Knowles, D.P. 2004. Polymorphisms in the prion precursor functional gene but not the pseudogene are associated with susceptibilty to chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer. Journal of General Virology. 85:1339-1346.

THESE two reports that follow from the OIE about CWD, i take with a grain of salt some of there assessments. FOR one, deer and elk HAVE been fed feed tainted with the TSE agent for decades. ALSO, the TSE agent transmits freely by oral route to deer and elk;

Mule deer fawns (Odocoileus hemionus) were inoculated orally with a brain homogenate prepared from mule deer with naturally occurring chronic wasting disease (CWD), a prion-induced transmissible spongiform encephalopathy. Fawns were necropsied and examined for PrP res, the abnormal prion protein isoform, at 10, 42, 53, 77, 78 and 80 days post-inoculation (p.i.) using an immunohistochemistry assay modified to enhance sensitivity. PrPres was detected in alimentary-tract-associated lymphoid tissues (one or more of the following: retropharyngeal lymph node, tonsil, Peyer's patch and ileocaecal lymph node) as early as 42 days p.i. and in all fawns examined thereafter (53 to 80 days p.i.). No PrPres staining was detected in lymphoid tissue of three control fawns receiving a control brain inoculum, nor was PrPres detectable in neural tissue of any fawn. PrPres-specific staining was markedly enhanced by sequential tissue treatment with formic acid, proteinase K and hydrated autoclaving prior to immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibody F89/160.1.5. These results indicate that CWD PrP res can be detected in lymphoid tissues draining the alimentary tract within a few weeks after oral exposure to infectious prions and may reflect the initial pathway of CWD infection in deer. The rapid infection of deer fawns following exposure by the most plausible natural route is consistent with the efficient horizontal transmission of CWD in nature and enables accelerated studies of transmission and pathogenesis in the native species.

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These results indicate that mule deer fawns develop detectable PrP res after oral exposure to an inoculum containing CWD prions. In the earliest post-exposure period, CWD PrPres was traced to the lymphoid tissues draining the oral and intestinal mucosa (i.e. the retropharyngeal lymph nodes, tonsil, ileal Peyer's patches and ileocaecal lymph nodes), which probably received the highest initial exposure to the inoculum. Hadlow et al. (1982) demonstrated scrapie agent in the tonsil, retropharyngeal and mesenteric lymph nodes, ileum and spleen in a 10-month-old naturally infected lamb by mouse bioassay. Eight of nine sheep had infectivity in the retropharyngeal lymph node. He concluded that the tissue distribution suggested primary infection via the gastrointestinal tract. The tissue distribution of PrPres in the early stages of infection in the fawns is strikingly similar to that seen in naturally infected sheep with scrapie. These findings support oral exposure as a natural route of CWD infection in deer and support oral inoculation as a reasonable exposure route for experimental studies of CWD.

Deer Builder Pellets is designed to be fed to deer under range conditions or deer that require higher levels of protein. Feed to deer during gestation, fawning, lactation, antler growth and pre-rut, all phases which require a higher level of nutrition. Provide adequate amounts of good quality roughage and fresh water at all times.

Food and Drug Administration Investigator Gregory E. Beichner conducted an inspection of your animal feed manufacturing operation, located in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania, on March 23, 2001, and determined that your firm manufactures animal feeds including feeds containing prohibited materials. The inspection found significant deviations from the requirements set forth in Title 21, code of Federal Regulations, part 589.2000 - Animal Proteins Prohibited in Ruminant Feed. The regulation is intended to prevent the establishment and amplification of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) . Such deviations cause products being manufactured at this facility to be misbranded within the meaning of Section 403(f), of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act).

Our investigation found failure to label your swine feed with the required cautionary statement "Do Not Feed to cattle or other Ruminants" The FDA suggests that the statement be distinguished by different type-size or color or other means of highlighting the statement so that it is easily noticed by a purchaser.

In addition, we note that you are using approximately 140 pounds of cracked corn to flush your mixer used in the manufacture of animal feeds containing prohibited material. This flushed material is fed to wild game including deer, a ruminant animal. Feed material which may potentially contain prohibited material should not be fed to ruminant animals which may become part of the food chain.

The above is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of deviations from the regulations. As a manufacturer of materials intended for animal feed use, you are responsible for assuring that your overall operation and the products you manufacture and distribute are in compliance with the law. We have enclosed a copy of FDA's Small Entity Compliance Guide to assist you with complying with the regulation... blah, blah, blah...

Greetings FDA,i would kindly like to comment on;Docket 03D-0186FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Use of Material From Deer and Elk in Animal Feed; AvailabilitySeveral factors on this apparent voluntary proposal disturbs me greatly,please allow me to point them out;1. MY first point is the failure of the partial ruminant-to-ruminant feedban of 8/4/97. this partial and voluntary feed ban of some ruminantmaterials being fed back to cattle is terribly flawed. without the_total_ and _mandatory_ ban of all ruminant materials being fedback to ruminants including cattle, sheep, goat, deer, elk and mink,chickens, fish (all farmed animals for human/animal consumption),this half ass measure will fail terribly, as in the past decades... 2. WHAT about sub-clinical TSE in deer and elk? with the recentfindings of deer fawns being infected with CWD, how many couldpossibly be sub-clinically infected. until we have a rapid TSE test toassure us that all deer/elk are free of disease (clinical and sub-clinical),we must ban not only documented CWD infected deer/elk, but healthyones as well. it this is not done, they system will fail...3. WE must ban not only CNS (SRMs specified risk materials),but ALL tissues. recent new and old findings support infectivityin the rump or ass muscle. wether it be low or high, accumulationwill play a crucial role in TSEs.4. THERE are and have been for some time many TSEs in theUSA. TME in mink, Scrapie in Sheep and Goats, and unidentifiedTSE in USA cattle. all this has been proven, but the TSE in USAcattle has been totally ignored for decades. i will document thisdata below in my references.5. UNTIL we ban all ruminant by-products from being fed backto ALL ruminants, until we rapid TSE test (not only deer/elk) butcattle in sufficient numbers to find (1 million rapid TSE test inUSA cattle annually for 5 years), any partial measures such as theones proposed while ignoring sub-clinical TSEs and not rapid TSEtesting cattle, not closing down feed mills that continue to violate theFDA's BSE feed regulation (21 CFR 589.2000) and not makingfreely available those violations, will only continue to spread theseTSE mad cow agents in the USA. I am curious what we willcall a phenotype in a species that is mixed with who knowshow many strains of scrapie, who knows what strain or how manystrains of TSE in USA cattle, and the CWD in deer and elk (notelling how many strains there), but all of this has been renderedfor animal feeds in the USA for decades. it will get interesting oncesomeone starts looking in all species, including humans here in theUSA, but this has yet to happen... 6. IT is paramount that CJD be made reportable in every state(especially ''sporadic'' cjd), and that a CJD Questionnaire mustbe issued to every family of a victim of TSE. only checking deathcertificates will not be sufficient. this has been proven as well(see below HISTORY OF CJD -- CJD QUESTIONNAIRE)7. WE must learn from our past mistakes, not continue to makethe same mistakes... REFERENCESsnip...end...TSS

PDF] Chronic wasting disease in deer and elk in North AmericaFile Format: PDF/Adobe AcrobatChronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring prion. disease of nativeNorth American ... Preliminary findings on the experimental transmission of ...www.oie.int/eng/publicat/rt/ 2102/E.S.%20WILLIAM%20and%20Miller.pdf - Similar pages